A Star Is Born (2018)

A modernized telling of the classic 1976 version starring Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand. There were also two made that I haven’t seen in 1937 and 1954. That’s a staggering amount of remakes! in the 2018 movie that some are calling “The Lady Gaga one” some new depths of love, fame, and addiction are plumbed while paying respect to the 1976 version. This is a great movie, date-flick or otherwise. From my podcast The DRP:

Bradley Cooper is a well known name in showbiz. Most people got their first glimpse of him in the “Hangover” but he;s done a lot besides that. This is his directorial debut and he’s also starring in it. I always have respect for an actor who does “something else” in the film for example writes the film or directs it. I think starring in a film while directing it, especially a film requiring so much acting ability and focus is a mammoth task. For the most part, I think Cooper pulled it off. The rest of this short review contains some minor spoilers. In the last third of the film it’s as if he gave up being in charge and let Lady Gaga go crazy singing full length songs making the film long. The first 2/3 are excellent directing by him but the last parts suffered in my eyes.

Lady Gaga shows she has a great voice and that she is a performer. One problem I had with her is that, in her obvious quest to appear genuine, she came off as acting. You really can’t act genuine. I think she is a performer who can cry on queue and turn her made up face to the close up camera but as far as being the “All American girl” that this role calls for, she came up short. Having said that, I feel she has enough of a fan base that droves will enjoy her performance. Stack her against a Barbara Streisand and you have a less quirky, modern billboard performing artist but Streisand played the genuine better in my view. That doesn’t mean the movie is bad or un-enjoyable, it just means Lady Gaga doesn’t strike me as an innocent victim in the show as she tries so hard to be. In fact, her well chosen father actor, Andrew Dice Clay, make the genuine goal even less effective. In short, I see her as better at a half-time show than a tender film of this nature.

All in all, my wife enjoyed this film and so did I. even though we couldn’t sit through lady Gaga’s full length piano requiem at the end. We left in the middle of it. 7/10.